I used to laugh at such superstitions, but that was before Raikama’s curse. Now I needed all the luck I could get.
I folded them back into Zairena’s muslin sheet and slung them over my shoulder, not wanting anything to do with them.
I’ll drop them off at the temple,I decided, spotting its pointed clay roof across the courtyard. It was small and unattended, the entrance marked by two stone braziers and scarlet pillars framing the wooden steps.Or throw them back into the orchard.
The weather gods decided for me. Thunder rumbled from far away, promising rain. I ran for shelter under the temple’s sloped veranda.
As I climbed up the temple stairs, the door flew open. “Lina!”
Surprise at seeing Takkan made me jolt, and the persimmons catapulted out of my grasp and rolled down the stairs.
There went my offering. I didn’t think they had fallenthathard, but every single one was bruised, the amber skin nearly black from impact.
Takkan knelt, helping me retrieve the persimmons. “Offerings to the gods?”
They were.My mouth slanted, my expression for wry humor.
Hastily, I grabbed the fruits and bowed, then made for the stone steps down. I’d rather face the rain than stay in the temple with Takkan.
“Wait, Lina—”
I fluttered my hands at the altar, stooping to show deference.I don’t wish to disturb your prayers.
A clap of thunder punctuated my gesture, and Takkan looked up. The clouds were suddenly darker. Heavier too, as if armored for battle.
“The dragons are out to play,” he said as the first sprinklings of rain loosened from the sky. “You should stay inside until they’re finished.”
I hesitated.What does that mean?
He let out a short laugh. “It’s a story I used to tell Megari.”
Curious now, I lingered at the door and wheeled my hands.Explain.
“Everyone knows that seeing a dragon is a sign of good fortune. I told her that lightning comes from dragons scratching the sky, and thunder is the sound of their cries as they play.” Takkan’s dark eyes twinkled with humor. “I thought it’d get her to stop barging into my room in the middle of the night, demanding that I tell her stories and keep her company. But it seems to have backfired on me. Now during every storm, she comes to my room, counting the thunderclaps and lightning bolts. She’s accumulating luck to wish for a shorter winter.”
I smiled, holding in a laugh.
“You like the story?”
Against my will, I did. It sounded like a joke Yotan would have played on me.
“I think that’s the first time I’ve seen you really smile, Lina.” He cocked his head, a grin tilting his mouth. “Except when I gave you that silver makan.”
How can you tell?
“You have a dimple when you’re happy,” he said, seeing my twisted lips. He touched his own left cheek to mirror mine.
I was impressed he had noticed. Did he usually observe such things?
The sprinklings of rain turned to fat plops pattering against the temple roof. The cold made the scabs on my hands itch, and I wrapped my scarf around my fingers tighter to stop myself from scratching.
“Come inside,” he said, opening the door wider, “before the rain gets heavier.”
I shouldn’t.I motioned with my hands, not knowing what to do with them.Chiruan…
“Come inside,” he repeated, not understanding my gestures. “Since you’re here, I want to ask you something.”
My hands fell to my sides. Curiosity was my greatest weakness.
